She chastised the district for implementing "the Cadillac model" of after-school programs at one school, in the midst of stories of teachers paying out-of-pocket for classroom supplies and students taking home photocopies of textbooks.

"The focus of the budget should be the classroom," Segat said at a candidate forum last month.

As the repercussions of rent control's demise continue to threaten public school enrollments in Cambridge, fixing the city's school choice system to please the influx of wealthier parents may become paramount.

With Don Harding as the only candidate to speak out unequivocally against school choice, advocating instead a return to a simple neighborhood schooling system, it's not likely that the choice system will be departing altogether anytime soon, despite new residents' protests.

Another major issue is the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) tests, which Turkel calls "tremendously problematic." She suggests that instead of graduation hinging on a standardized test, students should be judged on a portfolio of work assembled by their teachers.

Though Fantini doesn't support the tests either, he maintains that their existence showcases significant problems with the job the school committee is doing.

"The way to put the MCAS out of business is to make sure we're doing our jobs," he says.